Massage machine



v April 9, 1935- R. H. HAMBLIN 1,996,995

MASSAGE .MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 9, 1935. R. H. HAMBLIN MASSAGE MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1933 3 SheeiZS-Sheefl 2 v 'if u )y INVENTOR April 9, 1935. R. H. HAMBLIN 1,996,995

MASSAGE MACHINE Filed copas, 19:53 5 sheets-sheet s INVENTOR Mmmm@ Patented Apr. v9, 1935 l y 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAS SAGE MACHINE Robert H. Hamblin, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Gro-Flex Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of New York Application October 28, 1933, Serial No. 695,569

5 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 46) The invention relates to massage machines sides in the massage unit per se and the reand has for its object, in general, to improve maining parts will be only briey described. the device disclosed in the copending applica- On the side of the chair, within reach of the tion of Robert H. Hassler, led July 29, 1933, users hand, is a switch 1 which is in circuit, 5 Serial No. 682,739. through Wiring mainly concealed in the chair, 5 In the copending application, as in the present With a source of electricq current and with a application, the type of massage machine under motor housed in the unit 5. Also within reach consideration is one which is preferably motor off the user is a crank 8 by means 0f Wheh he driven and in which the massaging action is procan raise or lower the massage unit, suitable l duced by an annularly rocking or wobbling appligearing for this purpose being housed within the 10 cator. For reasons which are fully pointed out in chair and connecting crank 8 with reciprocable the copending application, it is of the highest im- SUDDOrIlg DOSt 2- portance to prevent the applicator from slipping Bracket 3 iS removably attached t0 D051? 2 and upon or rubbing the massaged surface, particularterminates inwardly in a yoke 9 which embraces l ly when the device is used for massaging the and rigidly SUDPOIS massage unit 5. A Pair 0f 15 human scalp. padded head rests 4 are carried respectively by One object of the invention is to provide imyOke aImS l0 0f yoke H Which is DVOtally Supproved means for preventing the rotary moveported upOn bracket 3- ment of the driving mechanism from being im- The massage unit iS SUDDOIlied by and hOuSed parted to the applicator while permitting the in a three-part casing comprising a lower mem- 20 translation of such rotary movement into the ber l2, bolted t0 yoke 9, an intermediate memannular rocking movement of the applicator. ber I3, and a cap or cover I4. The intermediate A, further object is to enhance the safety, member I3 has an irregularly Shaped integral appearance and compaetness of machines of this parttien l5 1113011 Which are formed bearings I6, 5 nature by enclosing within a substantially con- I'I for the shaft I8 of motor I9. A worm on the 25 tinuous housing, all gearing and all regions of right-hand end 0f Shaft I8 is n mesh With a the device in which rocking and stationary parts gear 20 Which iS keyed t0 Shaft 2l retatably are in proximity to one another. supported by ball bearing 22 and guided by ball In the accompanying drawings there is shown bearing 23. A gear 24 iS keyed t0 the lOWer end .'10 an illustrative embodiment of the invention 0f Shaft 2L 30 which will now be described. Partition I5 has a central boss 25 to which is Figure 1 shows, in side elevation, my improved secured by nut 26 a. hub 2l which has an exmassage unit, mounted upon a chair and applied termal radial ange 28- UPOII flange 23 TeS'SS to a users head; the inner race 29 of a ball bearing whose outer Figure 2 is an enlarged Vertical section in the race is 30. Ring 3| has an internal lahge 32, 35 plane of symmetry, a portion ofthe applicator by means 0f Wheh the ring iS SUDPOIted D011 being in elevation; race 30, and an external flange 33, to which is Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, the secured by bolts 34 the internal flange 35 of a parts being in a different phase of operation drum member 35 A and portions of the applicator and housing be A large internal gear 31 is seated on a shoulder 4o ing in elevation; 38, formed on drum member 36, and is held Figure 4 is a longitudml Section, further en against rotation relative to the drum member by rivet-pins 39. Gear 31 is in mesh with gear 24, larged, of certain parts shown 1n Figures 2 and 3 previously mentioned. When the motor is rum and in the same plane' 4. ning the rotation of 1ts shaft I8 will be trans- 45 Flgure 5 1s a sfactlqn on H ne 5"-5 of some o mitted through gear 20, shaft 2I, gear 23, gear theparts Sh'fwn m Flgure f1 31, to drum member 36, which rotates freely up- F1gure 6 1s a. cross-section on line 6-6 of on stationary hub Flglre 4; arfd A lower drum member 40 is joined4 at its pe- -F1gure 7 1S a Cross-580Mo 0n Ime 7 7 0f riphery to drum member 36 and has a transverse 50 Figure 3- f. Wall 4I which is disposed in a plane oblique to .Referring generally t0 the device Shown in the axis of rotation ofthe drum. members. Wall Figure 1, 1t COmDHSeS a Chair ly Supporting post 4I has'an eccentric opening 42 around which is 2, bracket 3, head rests 4, and massage unit 5 seated a ball bearing comprising outer race 43 with its applicator 6. The present invention re- .and inner race 44. The outer race is lield in 55 l iixed position upon wall 4| by clamping ring 45. Hub 46 is in shouldered engagement with inner race 44 and has an integral bolt 41 which projects through a spacing collar 48 and through an applicator holder 49. Between the applicator holder and flange 56 on collar 48 is conned inner race 5| of a ball bearing whose outer race is 52. Hub 46, inner races 44 and 5|, spacing collar 48, and applicator holder 49 are clamped together axially by means of nut 53.

Applicator 6, preferably of soft rubber, has a central boss 54 provided with a flexible flange 55 which overlies flange 56 on holder 49. outwardly the boss on the applicator is loosely confined by rim 51 on ring 58, the latter being riveted to reverse-angled ring 59 which hangs upon ball .race 52.

It will be understood that when the drum composed of members 36 and 40 is rotating, the applicator will have imparted to it the desired annular rocking or wobbling movement. But for the best results, means must be provided to restrain the applicator from rotating upon its own axis and the means disclosed herein is an important improvement over the corresponding means disclosed in the above-mentioned application of Hassler. Such means comprises, in combination with parts and relations of parts heretofore described, a linking device which connects the hubs 21 and 46. This linking device will now be described.

Hubs 21 and 46 have axial recesses 60, 6|, respectively, presented inwardly or toward each other. These recesses constitute seats or housings for a pair of gimbal joints, the outer frames of which are designated 62, 63. In Figures 4 to 6 the details of the upper gimbal joint are shown and it may be assumed that the lower gimbal joint is of similar construction. The specific form oi the gimbal joints and of their mounting is not of the essence of the invention, however. Moreover, it should be understood that the term gimbal joint is employed here and in the appended claims in a generic sense to include any universal joint which prevents the joined members from rotating upon their own axes relatively to one another.

Referring to the upper gimbal joint in detail, frame-62 is in the form of a ring, internally squared, and having` diametrically opposed bores 64 in which are seated bushings 65. Shouldered trunnion studs 66 have their reduced ends seated in bores in the wall of hub 21 and their enlarged ends in bushings 65. At ninety degrees to studs 66 is a journal pin 61 whose ends are seated in frame 62. Pin 61 carries bushings 68 and the latter lie in a cross-head 69 which has a stud 10. A sleeve 1| lits over stud 10 at one end and over a similar stud 12 belonging to the lower gimbal joint at'the other end. As indicated in Figure 7, the studs and sleeve are of elliptical cross-section which renders those parts non-rotatable with respect to each other. A through-pin 13 holds the sleeve on stud 16 but to facilitate assembling there is no corresponding pin through stud 12. Moreover, the telescopic engagement of the sleeve with stud 12 permits of slight variations in the distance between the centres of the gimbal joints as the parts revolve, although theoretically there need be no such variation.

It will be observed that drum member 40 has a downward extension 14 which terminates in an irregularly shaped flange 15. 'I'his ange lies in a plane which is transverse to the axis ot rotation of the drum and casing I2 has a complementary ilange 16 lying in the same plane in close proximity to iiange 15. By this means the annular zone lying between the applicator mounting and casing I2 is blocked oi to prevent the insertion of any object into said zone from without. 'I'his eliminates the possibility of injury to the users ngers or to the machine which might otherwise result from the alternate expansion and contraction of said zone at a given point as the eccentrically mounted applicator assembly revolves. Moreover, the appearance of the machine is enhanced by reducing to a minimum the number of rocking parts which are exposed to View. The applicator proper is necessarily exp'osed, but the rocking and orbital movements of wall 4| and of the applicator mounting are concealed, being translated, so far as visibility is concerned, into the simple rotary movement of flange 15.

I claim:-

1. A massaging machine comprising, in combination, a support having a hub, a frame rotatably mounted on said hub and having a bearing Whose axis is oblique to the axis of rotation of the frame, an applicator journalled in said bearing, and means connecting said hub and applicator to permit universal rocking of the applicator with respect to the support while preventing rotation of the applicator relative to the support.

2. A massaging machine comprising, in combination, a support having a hub, a frame rotatably mounted on said hub and having a bearing whose axis is oblique to the axis of rotation of the frame, an applicator journalled in said bearing, and a link member connected at one end through a gimbal to said support and at the other end through a gimbal to said applicator.

3. A massaging machine as defined in claim 2, in which the axes of the first-mentioned gimbal intersect the axis of rotation of the frame and the axes of the second gimbal intersect the axis yoi" the applicator.

4. A massaging machine comprising, in combination, a casing open at one end, a hub supported within the casing, a frame rotatably mounted at one end on said hub and having at its other end a bearing whose axis is oblique to the axis of rotation of the frame, an applicator journalled in said bearing and projecting through the open end of said casing, and means enclosed by said frame and connecting the hub and applicator to permit universal rocking of the applicator with respect to the support While preventing rotation of the applicator relative to the support.

5. A massaging machine comprising, in combination, a casing open at one end, -a frame rotatably mounted in said casing and having an element disposed in a plane oblique to the axis of rotation, an applicator carried by said obliquely disposed element and projecting beyond said casing, and an annular shield carried by said frame, said shield surrounding the internal portion of said applicator and terminating in the transverse plane in which the open end of said casing lies.

ROBERT H. HAMBLIN. 

